Job management software for UK tradespeople, priced in pounds
Tradify, ServiceM8 and Fergus all sell in the UK at their own UK prices. This page uses those prices exactly as each vendor lists them, says plainly where VAT isn't stated, and works out what a sole trader or a crew pays a month. Short answer: a crew usually pays least on ServiceM8, which is priced by jobs rather than people; a busy sole trader usually pays less on Tradify than on ServiceM8.
Ad · affiliate links: the “Try free” buttons on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, the vendor may pay us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the order of our picks. How we make money.
Quick answer
Choose Tradify ifYou work alone and do a lot of jobs
- Priced per user, from £34 a month
- Add-ons: Instant Website and text-message quotes and reminders
- Month to month, 14-day trial with every feature
Choose ServiceM8 ifSeveral people use it
- Priced by jobs a month, users unlimited on paid plans
- Free plan for 1 user and 30 jobs a month
- Paid plans from £25 a month ex VAT
Choose Fergus ifYou cost jobs against supplier prices
- Essentials from £39, Pro from £45 a month
- Certificates included free on the UK plans
- 14-day trial, no card needed
Every UK plan, as listed
Monthly prices in pounds from each vendor's UK pricing page, with a link to that page. Where a page doesn't say whether VAT is included, we say so rather than guess.
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | TrTradifyfrom £34/mo, VAT not statedTry free | S8ServiceM8from £25/mo, ex VATTry free | FeFergusfrom £39/mo, VAT not statedTry free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans a month (GBP) | Lite £34 · Pro £37 · Plus £44 | Free Free · Starter £25 · Growing £59 · Premium £119 · Premium Plus £269 | Essentials £39 · Pro £45 |
| Priced by | Each user | Jobs a month (users unlimited on paid plans) | Not stated on this page |
| Prices include VAT? | Not stated | No, ex VAT | Not stated |
| Free trial | 14 days, all features | 14 days | 14 days, no card needed |
| Worth knowing | – | – | Timesheet users from £12 a month; certificates free; "Get 90% off til December" banner |
| Source | Per user a month, month to month; VAT not stated. source | GBP, ex VAT (reverse-charge invoices). Unlimited users on paid plans; the Free plan is 1 user. source | "From" prices a month; VAT and per-user basis not stated on the UK page. source |
| Try Tradify free | Try ServiceM8 free | Try Fergus free |
What a UK trade business pays a month
The cheapest plan that fits each business, at the listed UK price.
| Business | Tradify | ServiceM8 | Fergus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader, quiet1 person · 20 jobs/mo | £34Lite × 1, VAT not stated | FreeFree plan, ex VAT | £39Essentials (from), VAT not stated |
| Sole trader, busy1 person · 60 jobs/mo | £34Lite × 1, VAT not stated | £59Growing, ex VAT | £39Essentials (from), VAT not stated |
| Owner + apprentice2 people · 100 jobs/mo | £68Lite × 2, VAT not stated | £59Growing, ex VAT | ?Per-user basis not stated |
| Small crew3 people · 150 jobs/mo | £102Lite × 3, VAT not stated | £59Growing, ex VAT | ?Per-user basis not stated |
| Growing team5 people · 300 jobs/mo | £170Lite × 5, VAT not stated | £119Premium, ex VAT | ?Per-user basis not stated |
| Established business10 people · 600 jobs/mo | £340Lite × 10, VAT not stated | £269Premium Plus, ex VAT | ?Per-user basis not stated |
Cheapest plan per month, in pounds as listed on each vendor's UK page (Tradify's cheapest plan is Lite; check it has the features you need). “Lower” is marked only where a price is at least 10% lower however the unstated VAT turns out. Fergus's UK pages don't say whether prices are per user, so we don't total it for teams.
Count your people, then your jobs
A crew of two or more: start with ServiceM8. Its price follows your job count, not your headcount, so adding an apprentice or a second van costs nothing extra. Tradify charges every user, from £34 each, so the gap grows with every person you add.
A busy sole trader: start with Tradify or Fergus. One Tradify Lite seat is £34 a month, while ServiceM8's price rises as your monthly job count moves into its higher plans. Fergus’s entry price is close to Tradify’s, so pick on features.
A quiet sole trader: ServiceM8's Free plan covers one user and 30 jobs a month, which is enough to learn the app before you pay anything.
Fergus is the one to trial if you live in supplier price books and issue a lot of certificates, which its UK plans include free. Its UK page shows “from” prices and a 90%-off promotion, but doesn't say whether prices are per user, so ask before you commit a team.
Torn between Tradify and ServiceM8? Tradify vs ServiceM8 has a grid of team sizes and job counts that shows which is lower for yours.
Whichever you pick, run the trial on a real week: one quote, one job, one invoice synced to your accounts.
UK accounting software: VAT, CIS and Making Tax Digital
Your job app sends invoices to your accounting software, which files VAT returns to HMRC and, for builders, handles CIS. Here are the four that UK trades most often shortlist, at their regular UK prices. Every one is running an introductory discount, which we leave out because it ends.
| Checked 21 Oct 2026 | Xero | QuickBooks | Sage Accounting | FreeAgent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plans (GBP) | Ignite £18/mo · Grow £39/mo · Comprehensive £55/mo · Ultimate £70/mo | Sole Trader Plus £10/mo · Simple Start £16/mo · Essentials £38/mo · Plus £56/mo · Advanced £123/mo | Start £20/mo · Standard £43/mo · Plus £59/mo | Sole trader £19/mo · Partnership or LLP £27/mo · Limited company £33/mo |
| VAT | Prices ex VAT | Not stated | Prices ex VAT | Prices ex VAT |
| Source | Ex VAT; 90% off for the first 6 months not included. Ignite includes VAT returns to HMRC and CIS calculations. source | The page doesn't say whether VAT is included; 90% off for the first 6 months not included. Every plan lists CIS; VAT submission to HMRC starts at Simple Start (Sole Trader Plus doesn't list it). source | Ex 20% VAT; 90% off for the first 6 months not included. CIS is listed from Standard up; payroll for 1 employee included, then £1.85 per employee a month. source | Ex 20% VAT; priced by business type, not by plan; 50% off for the first 6 months not included. Files MTD VAT returns to HMRC. CIS isn't mentioned on its pricing page. source |
| Do we earn from this link? | Yes, it's an affiliate link. You pay the same. | No. It's a plain link to the vendor's pricing page. | No. It's a plain link to the vendor's pricing page. | No. It's a plain link to the vendor's pricing page. |
| See Xero's plans | See QuickBooks's plans | See Sage Accounting's plans | See FreeAgent's plans |
Reading the table: CIS starts on Xero's and QuickBooks's cheapest plans and on Sage's Standard plan. FreeAgent is priced by business type rather than by plan, and its pricing page doesn't mention CIS, so ask before you rely on it for subcontractor returns. Only the Xero button is an affiliate link; the others are plain links that pay us nothing. Check which accounting software your job app connects to during its trial.
What to check for a UK business
- VAT is 20% at the standard rate. Once you're VAT registered, your VAT returns go to HMRC through Making Tax Digital-compatible software (GOV.UK). Set the job app's quotes and invoices to the right VAT rate for your work.
- CIS for contractors and subcontractors. If you work in construction under the Construction Industry Scheme, deductions and monthly returns are usually handled in your accounting software. Xero, QuickBooks and Sage (from Standard) list CIS on their UK plans; see the accounting table.
- Payroll runs through RTI: employers report pay to HMRC every payday, in payroll software rather than the job app.
- Health and safety: forms and site checklists help you keep records, but your duties come from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. HSE has the guidance.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Talk to your accountant about VAT, CIS and payroll.
UK tradespeople ask
Which job management app is cheapest in the UK?
It depends on how many people use it. ServiceM8 charges by jobs a month with unlimited users on paid plans, so it is cheaper for a crew. Tradify charges per user, so a busy sole trader pays less on Tradify Lite (£34 a month) than on the ServiceM8 plan their job count needs.
Do UK job app prices include VAT?
ServiceM8's UK prices exclude VAT; it issues reverse-charge invoices, so a VAT-registered business accounts for the VAT itself and can usually reclaim it. Tradify's and Fergus's UK pages don't say whether VAT is included, so confirm at checkout.
Which accounting software handles CIS and Making Tax Digital?
Xero's UK plans submit VAT returns to HMRC and automate CIS from Ignite, its cheapest plan. QuickBooks lists CIS on every UK plan and VAT submission from Simple Start. Sage lists CIS from its Standard plan. FreeAgent files MTD VAT returns, but its pricing page doesn't mention CIS. All three job apps list Xero integrations.